Doc’s 2017 Top Ten Lists

Here are my favorite albums, films, television shows, and podcasts of 2017. As always, I wish I would have listened to more and watched more, and these lists are in no particular order. I have to admit that podcast listening has sincerely cut into my music time. A lot of stuff didn’t make my list, because I just haven’t gotten around to checking it out.

(Some of these lists go to 11)


Top Albums of 2017

Body Count – Bloodlust

Mastodon – Emperor of Sand

In Search of Sun – Virgin Funk Mother

Sons of Apollo – Psychotic Symphony

Darkest Hour – Godless Prophets & The Migrant Flora

Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.

Zeal and Ardor – Devil Is Fine

Glassjaw – Material Control

Power Trip –  Nightmare Logic

Havok – Conformicide

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The Ex Man Podcast Ep. 07 – Mike Gitter (A&R for Century Media Records, ex-Roadrunner, Atlantic)

Doc vents about the holiday blues, and speaks with Century Media A&R guy, Mike Gitter, about his start as a journalist in the early punk and hardcore scene, his time in the major label world at Atlantic records, the process of making records with bands, his legacy at Roadrunner Records and working with bands like Killswitch Engage, Glassjaw, and Ill Nino, and reveals what he looks for in upcoming bands.

This episode features the song “Calculating Fate” from Death I Am and a live version of “Numbered Days” from KiIlswitch Engage.

In Memoriam – A God Forbid Retrospective

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It’s only been a week since we closed the door on God Forbid, but with so much outpouring of affection, sharing of memories, disclosures of sadness bordering on mourning from friends, fans, fellow compatriots in the music industry, and my own reflections burrowing their way from my subconscious to the surface, I thought I should share some of my thoughts about what kind of legacy we left.

In all honesty, it feels silly to use a word like legacy when talking about my own band, but I was actually having some sentimental feelings about the musical catalog God Forbid has amassed when I was preparing for the last couple shows we did, before I decided to leave the group. I was practicing a few songs I hadn’t played in a while, and in that time, I started listening back to some songs and albums I hadn’t heard to in quite some time. And in that moment, I felt a deep sense of pride and accomplishment. For perhaps the first time, I heard a distinct sound that permeated from our first album to our last. Although that sound had evolved over time and become more nuanced and composed and lost some of it’s teeth, much of the feel was there. The groove was consistent. Dynamics always played a part. Darkness and melody persisted and coexisted. The words spoke about pushing through and striving for better.

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